<p>Does anyone else feel Brown University is a bit underrated, partly due to its offbeat environment and long held stereotypes?</p>
<p>I'm not really looking for negative answers towards the school. I know most CC'ers are obsessed with HYP anways. I mean I'm not saying its at the level of those, but I think that it should break the top 10. Or maybe exactly number 10. I just feel that school provides a very good learning environment for kids, and is still top notch in academics. </p>
<p>Brown recieved the most Fulbright Scholars this year, just following Yale in both undergraduate and graduate studies. Although, some like to downplay the Fulbrights I think this is an impressive accomplishment. </p>
<p>I've visited both Dartmouth and U Penn, and Brown impressed me much more. Of course, it could be my bias. I feel like U Penn doesn't stand without all its Wharton kids, legacies, etc. And Dartmouth, well its a pretty school, but a little too one-track in my opinion. They're both fantastic, I just thought Brown was better than both of them.</p>
<p>So I'd like to hear other opinions on this, and if there are any other changings in the rankings that should possibly be done. Similar to the other thread. </p>
<p>But I think brown is overrated... just because it's an "ivy" doesn't mean it's good you know... people say they want to go to the ivies, but they're all so different in every way.</p>
<p>I think Brown is a great school, probably my favorite Ivy because it combines academic quality with a slightly more laid back atmosphere and a smaller, cozier, more undergraduate-oriented feel. It also strikes me as not nearly as narcissistic as some of the other Ivies. But I wouldn't call it underrated because as NotToo_Crazy points out it's become hugely popular. I would say, however, that some of the other Ivies are overrated. There are lots of schools that really are in the same ballpark academically but don't get nearly the number of applicants, simply because they're not Ivies. U Chicago being perhaps the most obvious example.</p>
<p>Brown is underrated. Most people only think of HYP. Also, their open curriculum is beneficial. Personally, I really wanted to attend their campus, but I was rejected from their waitlist.</p>
<p>quite in line with your feelings on brown...
brown is objectively underrated on the U.S. News ranking compared to matriculating students actual preferences. i'm sure you've seen the study because it's been posted here a million times...most students admitted to both decide to go to brown over columbia, dartmouth, and penn.</p>
<p>underrated .. if anything i would say it is over rated. The international rankings i have seen place Brown as low as 41st while the other Ivies are all top 20.. except one where Dartmouth was not even present in the Top 100. If you say rankings don't matter, then individual 'cross admit rates' matter even less . Atleast rankings take into account more than that. I would say Berkeley is underrated in the rankings.</p>
<p>HYP is sort of a tier of prestige, but to group those schools together and explain that Brown has a different approach to education than "the big three" is misleading. They are not all Wharton-esque pre-prof factories... they are three totally different schools.</p>
<p>The Ivies (from "most intellectual/love of learning" to "most pre-professional"; IMHO):
Brown
Yale
Columbia
Harvard
Dartmouth
Princeton
Cornell
Penn</p>
<p>Brown leans away from research and towards a setting more characteristic of an LAC, and thus is neglected by a lot of the big university rankings. Yale takes a hit in this manner as well, but obviously to a lesser extent. </p>
<p>What I mean to say is that Brown is underrated by many because it does not necessarily belong to the big national university group it is placed in, not necessarily because it has a poor academic reputation in the classroom. I think.</p>
<p>hehe, Brown is always hyped up to be this great place, laid back, free environment.</p>
<p>Yes, it is selective, yes, it has a strong student body. There hasn't been a single person that came up to me and told me what Brown is good for. I'm looking for fields where its #1. or top ten for the reason. Other than RISD connection, I'm really sure that I do not know what Brown is good for. Other than the name, prestige, good student body, laid back curriculum, and RISD connections. It isn't overall really that impressive.</p>
<p>If someone can enlighten me, that would be excellent. So, What is Brown good for? Why majors, studies, programs make it so it deserve to be in the top ten?</p>
<p>It all depends upon which factors you think deserve the greatest weight.</p>
<p>Brown may be under-rated by people other than you if your criteria for rating give greatest weight to the student quality. Brown it draws a pretty strong group of students and is very popular among applicants. </p>
<p>However, it is likely over-rated by people other than you if your criteria give substantial weight to the strength of the faculty from a research standpoint. While there are very good people on the faculty, there are probably a substantial number of universities with stronger faculties overall. If I understand mashrur's post correctly, he/she seems to be citing a study ranking it 41st among faculties. Prospective students would rank it much higher than 41st and thus whether it is over- or under-rated depends upon whether you are looking from a student quality/popularity perspective or a quality of research faculty perspective.</p>
<p>In contrast, HYP have both student quality and high quality research faculties. There are schools that would certainly have a high quality research faculty but a weaker student body (let me speculate here -- Berkeley or Chicago). If so, relative to your opinion about Brown, one might have equal but opposite views about whether Berkeley or Chicago are over- or under-rated.</p>
<p>Top 10 in classics, top 20 in English, comp lit, philosophy, history, math, geoscience, very strong in modern languages and literatures. But I agree with strawbridge ^, it doesn't have the across-the-board strength of faculty you'll find at HYPS, Chicago, Berkeley, Michigan.</p>
<p>Only HYPSM are tops in both categories. Top lacs and schools like Brown, Dartmouth, and Amherst lead in the first category while places like Michigan are stronger in the second. </p>
<p>Personally, with the exception of a few areas (like music, art, computer science, etc) category one in my opinion is far more important. Most people want to get an elite job or go to grad school after a top 20 education and in my experience schools strong in the first category do the best at this.</p>
<p>i guess i understand more where people are coming from. i just felt that because students are so happy at a school like brown, and it has one of the best environments arguably at any college, it should get more recognition. but yes, rankings are much more about top departments, etc, so i'm wrong in believing that. it was just crazy how great a feeling it gave to be on that campus. </p>
<p>and after visiting the schools i slightly have to disagree with the other post.</p>
<ol>
<li>brown</li>
<li>yale. </li>
<li>princeton</li>
<li>columbia</li>
<li>harvard</li>
<li>dartmouth</li>
<li>cornell</li>
<li>U penn (so pre-professional) did not like it AT All.</li>
</ol>
<p>I think it's overrated. To me, the only real reason people like it so much is because they like how relaxed and stress-free its curriculum is. If you take that away I doubt the school will look as attractive.</p>
<p>It's stress free, not because they don't work hard.
It's stress free, because kids are actually taking classes they really want to take and designing their own majors.
The kids work extremely hard, and walk out with some of the best college experiences.
It's also very relaxed and stress free because of how tolerant and intellectually driven the students are.
Brown is ranked the sixth most selective university, so it can't be a school filled with "lazy" kids. Actually you have to be pretty motivated, since there are no set directions or courses for students to take.</p>
<p>Dartmouth and Brown seem like good schools, probably among the best for undergraduate education. Why can't it stack up to top 10 powerhouses? Its because they lack research prowness of those top ten schools that they aren't regarded as awesome or anything. I believe is overrated. Among those that are highly overrated.</p>